Matchmaster would not recommend this practice. The antenna will not perform to specification; it will suffer immensely from interference; it will ‘ghost’ and will almost certainly not work with digital.
Most existing older antennas were never designed to effectively receive the new channels used for digital TV, particularly 11,12 and 34. However, in some instances where the signal is particularly strong and of good quality (such as near to the transmitter), digital TV may work. Our experience shows that older TV antennas will usually have old type cable, splitters and other connections that certainly will not be suitable for digital TV reception. We would recommend renewing your complete system, including the antenna, for trouble free digital TV viewing.
You can have as many as you wish. However, the more TV wall points you have, you will weaken your TV antenna reception strength. You may need a stronger signal antenna and/or an amplifier booster.
Your TV antenna gives the best reception when it is directed toward the TV transmitter station (direction is indicated on your TV antennas). Hills or buildings that block the view of the transmitter may affect your reception. Visit the Antenna Selection Guide to find your nearest TV transmitter.
Check that the connections between the TV antenna, coaxial cable, splitter, wall outlets and TV leads are correct and in working order.
This will depend if you are in a VHF/UHF area or a UHF only area. Your signal strength may also be affected by the distance from the transmitter and the topography of the area. The size and performance of the antenna will need to be more powerful if you are far away from the transmitter or you are located in a dense vegetation or hilly area. You will find helpful hints in our Antenna Selection Guide. Retail outlets carry a range of VHF/UHF and UHF only outdoor antennas.
If it is a combination VHF/UHF antenna, the end with the smaller elements (UHF) points towards the transmitter. If it is a UHF only antenna, the end furthest from the balun (connection) points toward the transmitter.
Indoor antennas are designed to work only when located very near the transmitter site, performing poorly at even moderate distances from the transmitter site. With digital TV it is even more critical to use an outdoor antenna, unless you are very near the transmitter.
You may need to install a new antenna or cable system. Older antennas were not designed to pick up all of the new digital frequencies and may cut off some channels.
You need to check that the antenna is pointing in the correct direction. You also need to check that you have the correct antenna for your area and that it is mounted high enough.
Quad-shield (4 shield) RG6 coax offers superior protection for your digital ready TV system from interference caused by electrical equipment operating in your own home or nearby. This type of interference can disrupt the digital TV system.
The signal from the transmitter will always be stronger at a higher point above your roof. It is also beneficial for having a direct line of sight to the transmitter to reduce potential interference. The higher the TV antenna is mounted, the better the reception is likely to be.
If you are in a high signal strength area, they may work. Older antennas were not designed for all of the digital frequencies. Older cables may allow interference to penetrate and you may get digital break up. It would be best to consult a professional installer for a digital health check as you may need to replace some or all of your system.
This may be due to poor installation, poorly shielded fly leads or a system that was not designed correctly to begin with. Adding an amplifier to the system is not always the answer. You should contact a professional installer as part or all of the system may need to be rectified.
Not necessarily. Generally, it will only boost the existing poor signal. If you have a splitter in the system that splits more than 2 ways, there may not be sufficient signal from the antenna to support multiple splits. You may want to consider a higher gain antenna, a masthead amplifier, quality ‘F’ connected accessories and quad-shield coax cable.
Your picture may pixelate in rainy or windy conditions because there is a tree in front of the antenna or if the signal received in good conditions is only just sufficient for the television. Once the rain or wind starts, the signal drops slightly and it may be below an acceptable level. A booster may fix this problem.
Pictures pixelating when you turn on electrical appliances usually indicates poor shielding on your cables. This may be the cable located behind your TV set (fly lead) but more often than not it is the cables installed in the walls/roof. You may need to replace them with quad shielded cables. Interference can also come in through older style splitters and connectors.
It is best to mount the masthead amplifier between 300 and 500mm from the antenna elements. This makes sure that signal noise or interference between the antenna and the masthead amplifier is minimised. The power supply that came with the masthead amplifier attaches to the outlet plate for the antenna and ‘injects’ the power into the coaxial cable to the masthead amplifier. If you have splitters in your system you must ensure that they will allow the power to pass to the masthead amplifier. This can be easily done by using ‘power pass all leg’ splitters or following the red ‘power pass’ line on other splitters.
The masthead amplifier should be attached as close to the antenna as reasonably possible. If you have a very high mast you should attach the amplifier at head height so that you can access it for maintenance in the future.
Depending on your signal strength and the number of outlets, you may not require any amplification. Generally speaking if you are running more then two outlets you may require a booster of some description. Splitters will have a loss marked on them. Choose an amplifier equal to the amount of loss in your system.
Double-check all the connections.
It is often something simple that has been missed, such as a connector not correctly attached. Make sure the power supply is attached to the outlet which is connected to the ‘power-pass’ side of the splitter or the power will not get to the amplifier. Ensure you selected the correct ‘switches’ on the masthead amplifier with regard to power pass and combined/separate input.
TV signal experiences loss through your coaxial cable over long distances. Generally, if the distance is greater than 15-20 metres, you should install a TV amplifier or ensure your TV antenna is powerful enough to compensate for the loss.
Yes. Check your models product page, in the download section to see if a file is available. If not please contact us using the form above with your model number and we will email a copy of the instructions.
No. Matchmaster is a manufacturer and distributor. We can, however, recommend some very good installers. Please contact us on 1800-AERIAL for details.
Yes. Matchmaster antennas are made with thicker elements, UV treated plastics, stainless steel screws and rivets to ensure a long life. They are designed for Australian weather conditions as well as bird life.
Amplifiers are usually powered by a power supply. If your house operates with a splitter to split TV reception to different rooms. For example using our product 07MM-GM02, you need to place the power supply either before the splitter, after the power pass leg or off the power pass leg.